Late Edo or Meiji period boxwood netsuke of a recumbent deer signed Masakiyo, estimate £800-1200 at Lyon & Turnbull.
Finely carved, it shows the animal with its hooves tucked underneath the body, its head arched upwards to the sky and the face with a serene expression. Sakai Masakiyo followed the style of Suzuki Masanao of Ise.
An almost identical netsuke, without an artist’s signature, is dated to the 19th century and in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Estimate £800-1200.
